Variations in surface ozone and carbon monoxide in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding broader regions during SusKat-ABC field campaign: role of local and regional sources

摘要

Air pollution resulting from rapid urbanization and associated human activities in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal has been leading to serious public health concerns over the past 2 decades. These concerns led to a multinational field campaign SusKat-ABC (Sustainable atmosphere for the Kathmandu Valley -Atmospheric Brown Clouds) that measured different trace gases, aerosols and meteorological parameters in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions during December 2012 to June 2013 to understand local-to regional-scale processes influencing air quality of the Kathmandu Valley. This study provides information about the regional distribution of ozone and some precursor gases using simultaneous in situ measurements from a SusKat-ABC supersite at Bode, Nepal, and two Indian sites: a high-altitude site, Nainital, located in the central Himalayan region and a low-altitude site, Pantnagar, located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). The diurnal variations at Bode showed a daytime buildup in O-3 while CO shows morning and evening peaks. Similar variations (with lower levels) were also observed at Pantnagar but not at Nainital. Several events of hourly ozone levels exceeding 80 ppbv were also observed at Bode. The CO levels showed a decrease from their peak level of about 2000 ppbv in January to about 680 ppbv in June at Bode. The hourly mean ozone and CO levels showed a strong negative correlation during winter (r(2) = 0.82 in January and r(2) = 0.71 in February), but this negative correlation gradually becomes weaker, with the lowest value in May (r(2) = 0.12). The background O-3 and CO mixing ratios at Bode were estimated to be about 14 and 325 ppbv, respectively. The rate of change of ozone at Bode showed a more rapid increase (similar to 17 ppbv h(-1)) during morning than the decrease in the evening (5-6 ppbv h(-1)), suggesting the prevalence of a semi-urban environ. The lower CO levels during spring suggest that regional transport also contributes appreciably to springti